Quickies

Please God help my Heels win it all.

Excited about going to the Final Four next weekend.

Holly is God's gift to me.

Do it yourself

Give it time and let it breathe.

Relax, they're younger than you remember sometimes.

Honest people can have my time.

Liars are a waste of time.

Enjoy every step without looking to the next one too much

Imitation is the best sign of influence

Influence, Influence, Influence

I can always do better, humility always wins

Real humility

I forget the wrong things and remember the wrong things...stop it.

Jesus didn't just say "Follow me" he said "Be like me" as well.

I'm not who I was.

He Told Me To

Today is the 3rd Sunday I have had off this year. Other than for vacation time I have not had 3 Sundays of in what seems like 2 years. This is awesome. I get more time with my family on Sundays than on any other day of the week. So the thought has started to repeatedly occur to me..."Why would I give this day up for the rest of my life?"

The only answer there is, happens to be "Because He told me to".

Simple obedience. Wish I were more heroic than that, but I am not. I have no other option but to obey, but man, I really like having Sundays off. "You'll have all of eternity for that."

Criticism

There's something in life that I have absolutely no respect (or tolerance) for...it is criticism with no commitment. Do you realize how easy it is to be negative? Very easy. It is even easier to criticize with absolutely no equity in what you are criticizing. We criticize things we have no stake of equity in all the time...commercials, lousy products, bad meals, friends' churches, each other.

Here's what I have learned while at Gateway over the last 9 years...people will criticize something God is miraculously doing. There will never be a time where everything you do makes every single person happy. As a leader, you need to be okay with that.

Here's what I used to do...someone would criticize what I was doing and I would completely change what I was doing for them, whether it was the Lord or not. You know what you call that? People pleasing. What's really great is when you change what they wanted hoping it will appease them and they are still not happy with you. Save yourself the trouble...hear God's instruction more than you hear man's deconstruction.

Hear my heart on this, I am not saying that all criticism is bad. I have received some great criticism from even oh, say, a spiritual father, that has completely changed the way I do ministry for the better. Criticism can be a powerful tool for growth...when it comes from someone committed to you.

Here's how I would sum this up in a one-liner...

Spend more time listening to "family members" with a different perspective or opinion than you do listening to non-committed critics.

For those being criticized, don't tune out your critics...they might be right once in a while.

For those that make a habit of non-committed criticism, be careful what and who you criticize because if they're wise, they'll ask you what you are doing about it. :)

Quick Hits

Seven was off the hook last night.

Get the podcast if you missed it...lots of one-liners

P90X is a great addition to our lives.

Fantasy Basketball playoffs start in a week and a half and I dominated the regular season.

Taking Tyler to the ER was not nearly as bad as I thought...thanks to Tyler!

Be careful with your words.

Just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean I should join in on the fun.

Family is a gift from God.

Serotonin is your friend.

Yoga is not at all what I expected...gotta be strong to pull it off.

I'm tired of hearing about bailouts with my money.

My outlook on life changes when I work out...much more healthy.

This may be the most generous phase of my life to this point...it seems like all I want to do is give right now...to anyone or any organization God tells me to give to.

I want to make a great employee, but an even better son.

If every message were like last night's I would want to preach everyday...ok, maybe not.

Sure hope my Tarheels are at the Final Four with me.

Sometimes We Have To Walk Through It

Just read this...

http://www.joelstockstill.com/?p=190

I wish we didn't have to walk through difficulties. I wish we could have perfect lives with no pain. It's not realistic though. It is those seasons of struggle, uncertainty, and pain that help me show compassion to others.

I wish I understood why things like this happened to people who give their lives to ministry. If I were to be completely forthright I would say that it really upsets me. I hurt for Joel and cannot imagine what the last year has been like. Lord, bless him and everything his hands touch. Give him peace, comfort, clarity, and strength.

Help me to be soft-hearted and compassionate toward all those around me. Minimize my learning the hard way.

Let It Flow

I am still processing all that God did in me friday night at C3. TD Jakes was the speaker and I had a 2nd row seat for it thanks to my best friend Timmy Ross.

I don't want to explain why the following ministered to me so I'll just give you the highlghts of 90 minutes of Bishop bliss as he covered 2 Kings 4:1-8...

-Elisha went thru mentorship before leadership
-Elisha started out wanting the mantle, then he just wanted the man (me, me, me)
-You know you are God's man based on the amount of trouble he exposes you to.
-God will promote you to your threshold of pain
-God's gonna give you an opportunity to use what you've got, but He'll do it through trouble
-Pray the answer, not the problem (nasty)
-What is in your house?
-Sometimes we spend too much time analyzing "how much they've got" that we forget what we've got.
-If all you're asking for is ordinary, you are not ready to talk to God...ask for the extraordinary! (solid)
-When God asks you a question, something is about to happen.
-Revelation is simply God shining the light on something you have already overlooked! (I'll take it)
-First God forms it, then he fills it
-Don't ask for too little, you might offend the supplier

It was an awesome night and one I really needed. Grateful for some of the dna I get from Bishop through Tim. God takes such great care of us all.

Not So Fast

I was listening to the radio on the way home from work today and a someone being interviewed made the suggestion that instead of the government helping all the people who have not been making their mortgage payments that they should give a reward to those that have been faithfully making their payment for years.

My first reaction embarrasses me a little. I thought, "Yeah, you're right. All 'those' people are ruining the economy for the rest of us. Don't reward them for making horrible financial decisions. Reward me for doing the right thing. I deserve that money more than someone who will waste it."

What an idiot. I really didn't see anything wrong with this reaction. To my natural mind it just made sense. "Not so fast", the Lord says.

Here were the problems the Lord showed me about my thought process:

I felt I deserved more than someone else.

I felt I was right and worse, justified.

I was ignorant of my ignorance.

I forgot that it could happen to me.

Everything I have is a blessing from the Lord. It could all change tomorrow. My job is not guaranteed. Holly's job is not guaranteed. It all comes from Him. And if I have been given enough to weather this economic season why would I even think it would be okay to take from those that need it more so that I could get more?

Lord I am grateful. You are so good to me. Help me to be more merciful.